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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28094352">Between the lines</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sweet_Voice_of_Yala/pseuds/Sweet_Voice_of_Yala'>Sweet_Voice_of_Yala</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Rift World Series - Ephemeral Rift</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Arkham Sanitarium, Emotional, Ephemeral Rift, Gen, Letter, Rift World - Freeform, Worry, asking for help</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 20:33:34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,784</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28094352</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sweet_Voice_of_Yala/pseuds/Sweet_Voice_of_Yala</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Letter and scribbled notes found in the case files of Keith Hollister, a private investigator residing in Arkham. Some words were blacked out (presumably to protect the identity of the writer); the notes were most likely made by Mr. Hollister himself.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Kira Townshend, Letters, The Watchers</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. First page</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/726978">Relax with Benjamin | ASMR</a> by Ephemeral Rift.
        </li>

    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Further inspirations drawn from the following videos: <i>The Arkham P.I. and the Escaped Patient</i>, <i>The Xenomorph Experiment with Professor Clemmons</i>, <i>Finding the Perfect Match</i> and <i>Special Announcement #9,000,000,002</i>. </p><p>This fanfic takes place in the Rift World Universe, created by YouTuber Ephemeral Rift (ASMRtist, storyteller and world builder) <a href="https://ephemeralrift.com/">ephemeralrift.com</a> The OCs and the story are mine, everything else belongs to him.</p><p>Once again my thanks go to the incredibly patient koboldblue who helped me with the English language (which isn't my first, so please be gentle with me.)<br/>All the remaining mistakes are mine, corrections are very welcome. Please also let me know if I made a mistake (category, warnings etc).  </p><p>  <i>This story is dedicated to Mr. B., who not only listened to all my questions but also helped me to find my own answers. Thank you so very much for your patience, your kindness and (last but not least) for making me laugh.</i></p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dear Dr. Brandis,</p><p>do you still remember me?<br/>
Well, as my cousin sent this letter and our last name (while rare) isn’t that unusual, the answer is most likely no. 
My forename is ████, I was one of your clients a few years ago.<br/>
But first things first: How have you been?<br/>
As word has it your practice here in Arkham is very successful, which doesn‘t surprise me at all.<br/>
I must admit, I had to laugh when I was told about its exact location: 
Of all the potential places in Arkham you chose the Sentinel Rd.?  And next to that strange Esoteric Order of the Friendless on top of it? That's just too perfect! </p><p>This is going to be a very long letter, be warned. Then again, you have been patiently listening to my ramblings for years, so I guess it won’t bother you all too much.<br/>
Actually I‘d like to ask you for advice. I understand that this is very unusual after such a long time but you are the only one who can help me.<br/>
It goes without saying that you will be compensated for your efforts. Please send the bill to my cousin, he will pay it immediately.</p><p>I’m currently a patient at Arkham Sanitarium. Surely you have heard of this institution, as their peculiar slogan (“Should you ever feel the need to escape the horrors of the world, escape to Arkham Sanitarium.”) can be found at almost every bus stop.<br/>
There is no cost for me to stay, meals and entertainment are free as well. A patient here can choose from an arcade, a movie theater, a swimming pool and various courses. There’s even an in-house telestation named AS TV.<br/>
The staff goes to great length for our well-being although their methods are a bit… unorthodox.<br/>
ASMR a.k.a the Arkham Sanitarium Method of Relaxation (or Rehabilitation, apparently people here can’t make up their minds), is meant to help the patient relax and fall into a trance-like state.<br/>
This is achieved by exposing them to so-called triggers (e.g. whispering, tapping and hand motions). An indicator for a successful session, if you will, are the tingles, a kind of very pleasant prickling. People have described it to me as being “similar to goose bumps but way more enjoyable”.<br/>
If this explanation sounds a bit clunky, it’s because this method is not working on me (unlike some of the other experimental treatments).<br/>
Even though it’s nice here without a doubt, I have tried to run away several times but was always… convinced… to come back.<br/>
As I’m rather certain that I’ll be staying for a while, I guess I have to learn to get along with everyone else here.</p><p>Would you give me advice on one of my fellow patients? (I’m not hoping for a diagnosis, I know you won’t make those from afar.)<br/>
Said patient is an eight-year-old boy. Well, at least I think so. He behaves like a child but his body is that of a grown man.<br/>
I have no idea what’s wrong with him (the staff does not speak about these things of course) but I assume a trauma or a split personality.<br/>
While he’s aware that he looks older, he doesn’t give it too much thought. His tattoos, however, scare him a lot, among other reasons because he cannot remember getting them.<br/>
Apart from all that he is a typical child, he loves to play pranks, is very curious and does not like to abide by the rules (two weeks ago he turned up in a treatment room after the doctor had left, which is strictly forbidden.)<br/>
He then looked at me wide-eyed and said he had wanted to meet me for a long time but just now managed to do so due to his shyness.<br/>
Right after telling me how awesome I was (people here seem to have a high opinion of me, for whatever reason), he showed me his favorite items 
(a toy gun, a magic cube and a book among other things). While doing so he said he’d let me borrow all of it because maybe I also was afraid, sad or angry “just like him and the others here”.<br/>
Now, I know that kids will try to make friends by sharing their toys but he was willing to lend me literally anything to become “bestest” friends. 
Of course, only if I wanted that too and of course I didn’t have to be his bestest friend at all but he would be mine for sure.<br/>
The boy apologizes often, necessary or not. He also asked me several times if<br/>
a) it was okay to take a seat and<br/>
b) he really wasn’t intruding.<br/>
Even worse, however, is the way he looks at me when he wants to do something, hoping for either reassurance or permission.<br/>
I’ve heard other patients say that he is “just a very polite child”, which could be true but I highly doubt that’s the only reason.<br/>
He seems to be <i>very</i> used to appeasing others, yes. And think for them, that too: He warned me of the Z-Ward (patients there get violent very quickly and aren’t exactly approachable) and when I couldn’t guess the name of his friend he offered to tell me “to spare me the embarrassment”.<br/>
That’s not your typical eight-year-old, right?</p><p>I’m in no way an expert but I’m sure he isn’t treated properly here. He has free access to R and NC-17 movies and video games, which of course contain all the violence one would expect.<br/>
One of his favorites is <i>American Psycho</i>, a movie about a serial killer in which all the crimes are shown in detail (e.g. a dog is fed glass shards). 
The boy does not understand everything of course and just said the man has “done some bad things to some people”.<br/>
To make matters worse, it seems like there’s no one he can talk to and he is left to deal with it all by himself.<br/>
On the other hand the staff is very strict on him, they’ll send him to the garden if he plays tricks on someone, lies or says “bad” words.<br/>
I guess I’ll have to explain that: One of the disciplinary measures here is being buried in soil for a while. Most adults can deal with it and many of them calm down there but you can’t do that to a kid, damn it! Of course he’s afraid of the other patients there as well as the “creepy-crawly bugs”.<br/>
Like I said, I’m not an expert and maybe all this is supposed to help him but I can’t really believe that. <i>I</i> have the impression that he’s trying way too hard to be useful and give people as little trouble as possible.<br/>
He even risked being send to the garden again, just to talk to me.<br/>
It hurts that he seems to think he has to provide a kind of additional value to find friends.<br/>
Could you give me tips on how to approach him? I’d like to be his friend, if only to make sure he has someone to talk to. And of course I don’t want to make mistakes, that happened way too often already. (Yeah yeah, my protective instinct is running amok again, I know, I know…)</p><p>Just in case you’re wondering why I don’t ask any of the staff: it’s not that easy.<br/>
You see, when I was your patient we were at eye level, actually working together as a team, that’s not the case here at all. Treatments are imposed on us and we won’t even get an explanation most of the time.<br/>
Then again, it is possible that I’m just too scared. I asked one of the nurses on how to interact with the boy, which wasn’t exactly successful. He just snarled at me, “You?! Just be yourself!” and stomped off. While that answer was somehow flattering, it was far from being helpful.<br/>
Okay, maybe I shouldn’t have asked him of all people (he is often grumpy and not very fond of women) but he deals with the boy most of the time.<br/>
Hmm, it just occurred to me that there may well be a staff member I could turn to for help. He is a very eccentric man who dresses like a 14th-century-doctor but it seems to be in his interest that patients contribute to the therapy as he often gives tips so they can help themselves.<br/>
I’d like to have your thoughts on this regardless, I’m already very invested emotionally and need some independent advice.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Second page</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Second page of the odd letter</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The other person I’d like to have your advice on is the director and also the head physician (I guess?) of Arkham Sanitarium.<br/>
Professor William E. Clemmons, who studied psychology at the Miskatonic University, is in his mid to late forties, married and enjoys a good reputation. And rightly so, he is competent, professional and exceptionally well-mannered. (Actually he is way too polite at times.)<br/>
Apart from his medical career he seems to be highly interested in technology.<br/>
Besides that he is rather handsome (in an unconventional way, though) and his voice is one of the most calming I’ve ever come across.<br/>
So far so good but said voice is very monotonous and conveys almost no emotion. His speech pattern drives me nuts, be it the untimely pauses or the lack of emphasis.<br/>
As if this wasn't enough his face is so heavily expressionless, he might just as well be wearing a flesh mask. (Yes, I know that sounds weird but I can’t explain it any better.)</p>
<p>Speaking of emotions: Even though he knows a lot about them in theory, he’s hardly able to recognize let alone identify them in others.<br/>
During one of my “experimental treatments” I was in physical contact with a… a kind of spider and he remarked, “You must be just as excited as I am.” even though I was visibly scared. (You still remember that you could tell how I felt just by looking at me, right?)<br/>
He often claims to be in a very good mood (or “jovial” as he puts it) and that we (the patients) surely have noticed that although neither his body language nor his face expression convey anything.<br/>
I’m not the only one who noticed this, btw. Many of my fellow patients feel the same and one of them, a hacker, nicknamed him “Processor” Clemmons because of it.</p>
<p>Thing is, this man scares me even though he never really harmed me. When he’s close the temperature drops to the freezing point and his touches are so unpleasant that I feel nauseous immediately. (Just to clarify: I’m talking about things like taking someone’s pulse or attaching them  to a medical device, nothing inappropriate.)<br/>
I just don’t understand why he scares me so much. Yes, he is cold and aloof but my cousin █████  is equally calm, always keeps a straight face and hardly ever talks but I’m not afraid of him.</p>
<p>One of the things you taught me was to watch people that scare me for a longer time. Of course I did that with the Professor and found myself in some strange situations, two of which I’d like to describe to you:<br/>
I’ll start with a situation in which I wasn’t afraid of the Professor for once.<br/>
We were in a treatment room and he produced sounds with a match box (to induce tingles and relaxation). He said that it was “of the utmost importance” to find the perfect match. (He later mentioned he needed it to light the candles on my birthday cake, ya well…)<br/>
While sorting out the matches that weren’t “perfect” he told me that he had been in a similar situation before. At that time it took him so long to find the right match that the others had started the party without him. This must have angered him immensely (so much so that his face actually displayed some emotions) and he then threw his own party that got totally out of control.<br/>
I didn’t dare ask why but it seemed to have to do with his (dangerous?) guests.<br/>
So, while I sat there and tried to keep my fear at bay (just as always), I suddenly felt deeply sorry for him. For a split second it wasn’t aloof and intimidating Professor Clemmons in front of me but    just little William, who, despite all his power and knowledge, couldn’t cease a behavior that was sure to cause anger and (possibly) grief. You see, just a moment later he said he hoped it wouldn’t take as long this time and that the other guests would wait for him. That was all, he just continued with this sorting then.<br/>
I must admit I lost my fear of him in large part ever since.</p>
<p>The second “situation” isn’t exactly a one-time-occurance rather something I noticed on different occasions. I already mentioned that the Professor is exceptionally well-mannered, so far so that it’s almost uncomfortable.<br/>
During one of my treatments he produced sounds with various objects, as per usual and behind a curtain stood nurse Margaret to assist him. So, after every test he went there to retrieve the next object. He then asked her if said object was prepared, he can have it resp. and thanked her.<br/>
Every. Fucking. Time. Those were 6 or 7 tests!<br/>
I assume that he has little to no emotions and so had to find a workaround for interacting with others. He must have read a lot and then made a to-do list (say hello/goodbye, ask how they feel,  thank them, etc). Apparently this list also includes “apprise the currently present interlocutor of the status of the mutual relationship” or the like. I and others here have already been declared “priced guest”, “favorite patient” and even “friend”!!!<br/>
And yes, you read that correctly, not just me, others too. Do you understand why this man makes me so nervous? </p>
<p>To be fair, it’s not his fault that he’s so strange. Nobody gets to choose how they feel (or in his case not feel). I know that too, of course, and would never hold it against him.<br/>
But now we (finally!) come to the incident that got me into a panic and prompted me to write this letter.<br/>
Awhile ago, many patients had the same, slightly creepy, dream. This made the Professor interrupt the program of the in-house radio station to make an announcement. I guess he wanted to calm people down and said that the AS was of course benevolent, the staff wanted to help patients and that he hoped to “... one day identify, isolate and forever remove the DNA that causes fear, anxiety and stress”.<br/>
I must admit I didn’t really get it at first, it was hours later in the cafeteria that I realized the impact this could have on us.<br/>
If there’s one thing I learned from you (and yes, it took me a <i>veeeery</i> long time), it’s that emotions have a purpose and should be accepted. Fear in particular is very important because without it we’d constantly take risks and get hurt or worse (and I never thought that I of all people would say this).<br/>
Of course measures have to be taken but suppressing or even removing emotions just can’t be the solution.<br/>
Apart from being possible or not, I very much doubt that the unemotional Professor would be the right person for this job.<br/>
Am I wrong? I’d love to hear your opinion on this as well.</p>
<p>Please do not send your answer to the Sanitarium but to my cousin in █████ ████████.<br/>
█████ will visit me soon and take your letter with him.<br/>
(Btw: Relatives are only allowed to visit once a year, does that make sense to you?)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Best regards and many, many thanks in advance<br/>
████ █████████</p>
<p> </p>
<p>P.S. Please do not, under any circumstances, use your official letter paper or sign with your name!<br/>
(I know how weird that sounds but it is of the utmost importance!)</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Scribbled Notes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Notes of Mr. Hollister</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Received letter from a Commissioner James Gordon (Gotham City PD) along with handwritten note requesting to “investigate further but keep a low profile” and to report back to him “even if it’s just remotely related”.</p><p>Brandis vehemently refused to reveal anything, even after seeing the letter but let it slip that patient is female.<br/>Seems to be on friendly terms with the commissioner.</p><p>V. sounded out AS security guard, patient in question Kira Townshend?<br/>Guard willing to reveal more about “criminal activities in that nuthouse” if compensated adequately.</p><p>K.T. mentioned by one of the “escaped” patients, cousin Henry Townshend, South Ashfield?</p><p>Address: South Ashfield Heights, Room 302, Copper Road<br/>So far no reply.</p>
  </div></div>
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